James Walton

Utterly bog-standard: BBC2’s The Turkish Detective reviewed

Plus: a confusing new BBC sitcom that's low on actual jokes

Haluk Bilginer as Cetin Ikmen in BBC2's The Turkish Detective. [Image: BBC / Paramount] 
issue 13 July 2024

A partly subtitled show set in Istanbul might sound like a brave departure for a BBC Sunday night crime drama. But in fact, if you strip away The Turkish Detective’s minarets and bazaars (not hard given that they supply somewhat perfunctory local colour), what remains is, according to taste, either reassuringly familiar or utterly bog-standard.

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